Accelerating AI Ethics

Thick Alignment and the Future of AI Governance: A Conversation with Professor Alondra Nelson

In this episode Dr Caroline Green from Oxford's Institute for Ethics in AI speaks to Professor Alondra Nelson about the social foundations of AI governance and thick alignment, a broader approach to aligning artificial intelligence with human values. Professor Nelson reflects on her interdisciplinary career bridging science, social research, and policy, including her role in developing the White House Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. She discusses how public engagement, trust, and clear communication are essential for ensuring that AI systems serve society rather than deepen existing inequalities. Together, they explore the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in AI ethics and governance, highlighting the risks of deploying powerful technologies without meaningful public dialogue. The conversation examines emerging challenges such as emotional relationships with AI chatbots, the role of governments and companies in shaping responsible innovation, and how inclusive policymaking can help align AI development with democratic values and the public good.

Connecting global conversations on ethical AI: the Coded Bias World Tour and AI in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

In this episode Dr Caroline Green from Oxford's Institute for Ethics in AI speaks to Dr Joy Buolamwini and Angela Oduor Lungati, Executive Director of Ushahidi, about building ethical, community-centered AI from Africa and beyond. Angela discusses her work leading Ushahidi, an open-source platform used globally to crowdsource crisis and human rights data, and how community-generated knowledge can shape more inclusive and context-aware AI systems.Joy reflects on her journey from uncovering bias in facial recognition systems to founding the Algorithmic Justice League, sharing how her research - featured in the documentary Coded Bias - exposes the social harms embedded in AI. Together, they explore women’s leadership in technology, the importance of grassroots voices in shaping AI governance, and the need for data justice, language representation, and accountability across the AI supply chain. The conversation highlights Kenya’s national AI strategy, Africa’s growing role as a builder - not just consumer - of AI, and the environmental and labour impacts of AI infrastructure. The episode closes with reflections on creativity, humanity, and the role of art in guiding responsible innovation.

Accelerating AI Ethics: Is Our Privacy Law Ready for the Age of AI?

In this episode of Accelerating AI Ethics from Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI, Dr Caroline Green speaks with Professor Ignacio Cofone, Professor of AI Law and Regulation, about his book The Privacy Fallacy: Harm and Power in the Information Economy. They discuss why today’s consent-based privacy laws are ill-suited to an AI-driven data economy, how data harms are often relational rather than individual, and why focusing on data use - rather than data collection - is key to preventing exploitation while enabling innovation. The conversation also explores power dynamics in the tech ecosystem, harm liability, and what meaningful reform of data protection law could look like in the age of AI.

From Philosophy to Code: The Role of the Humanities in the AI Age

Brendan McCord Podcast: https://blog.cosmos-institute.org/p/the-claude-boys

6-Pack of Care: Ambassador Audrey Tang and Dr Caroline Green Introduce the Civic Care Approach

Episode Summary In this episode, Dr. Caroline Green is joined by Ambassador Audrey Tang to introduce the “6-Pack of Care” framework—a practical architecture for embedding civic care into AI governance. Moving beyond abstract debates about AI futures, Tang and Green explore how attentiveness, responsibility, competence, responsiveness, solidarity, and symbiosis can form the foundation for AI systems that strengthen human relationships rather than undermine them. From real-world applications in social care to global policy discussions, this conversation offers hopeful, actionable pathways for creating technology that supports pluralism, community, and relational health. Guest Bio – Ambassador Audrey Tang Ambassador Audrey Tang is a Fellow of the Institute for Ethics in AI's Accelerator Programme, and is a Taiwanese digital minister, civic hacker, and global advocate for digital democracy. As Taiwan’s former Minister of Digital Affairs, Tang pioneered radical transparency, open government, and participatory digital tools that brought citizens directly into policy-making. Known for their leadership in building pluralistic, collaborative frameworks for technology governance, Tang continues to advise international bodies, research institutes, and civic groups on AI ethics, digital rights, and democraticinnovation. Their work bridges philosophy, policy, and engineering, focusing on how technology can nurture civic participation and collective flourishing. Topics Covered * Moving from the vision of plurality to the architecture of civic care * Defining civic care as designing AI around relational health and community needs * The 6-Pack of Care framework: 1. Attentiveness – noticing needs before optimising outcomes 2. Responsibility – public pledges, accountability, and alignment assemblies 3. Competence – delivering support that strengthens, not weakens, human relationships 4. Responsiveness – designing adaptable systems that empower those closest to harms 5. Solidarity – building infrastructures of cooperation, interoperability, and portability 6. Symbiosis – bounded, community-rooted AI (the kami metaphor) instead of singularity * Applications of civic care in social care systems and family caregiving * The role of AI in co-production and amplifying unheard voices in policymaking * Tang’s reflections on telepresence, co-presence, and re-presence in diplomacy and civic life * Practical tools such as alignment assemblies, sense-making, and WEVAL.org * Why plurality, solidarity, and symbiosis must guide AI policy and global governance Resources and Links * The 6-Pack of Care microsite – https://6pack.care [https://6pack.care] * Accelerator Fellowship Programme – Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford * WEVAL Wiki Evaluation Platform) – https://weval.org [https://weval.org] * Dedicate (AI care assistant for family caregivers) – https://dedicate.life [https://dedicate.life] * Collective Intelligence Project – https://collective-intelligence-project.org [https://collective-intelligence-project.org]